Newcastle United and Fulham already given major Sander Berge transfer hint from Sheffield United boss
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The January transfer window closes at 11pm on Tuesday night, but Newcastle aren’t closed for business just yet this month. Jonjo Shelvey’s anticipated departure to Nottingham Forest could open the door for a new midfield arrival - one that could arrive in the form of Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge.
Berge has played an integral role in the Blades midfield this season under Paul Heckingbottom and has seen his stock rise exponentially since his arrival to English football in 2020. Although he has had back-to-back seasons in the second-flight, the 24-year-old has consistently been linked with a move to the Premier League and could be set to make that a reality in the coming hours.
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Hide AdThe Magpies are eyeing a loan with an obligation to buy the midfielder whilst Fulham, who have also been credited with an interest in the Norwegian international, are ‘in talks’ over a £20million permanent deal.
The January transfer window is notoriously difficult to complete transfers, however, both clubs may have been given hope of securing a late deal for Berge due to Sheffield United’s current off-field issues. The club, that are currently in the middle of a potential takeover, were hit with a transfer embargo after failing to pay an instalment on a previous signing’s fee.
These issues mean that although a return to the Premier League looks very likely for the Blades who currently sit 2nd in the Championship with a 12-point gap to Middlesbrough in 3rd, they may be forced to sell some of their prized-assets before the window closes, with Berge chief among the potential departures. Blades boss Paul Heckingbottom left Berge out of the squad for his side’s enthralling FA Cup clash with Wrexham on Sunday and revealed that his omission was down to ‘interest’ in his services.
Heckingbottom said: “Sander is not here because we have been asked not to use him because our club is speaking to other clubs regarding him. It doesn’t mean Sander’s going anywhere.
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Hide Ad“Sander is happy here, but the situation we find ourselves in — mid-takeover with a transfer embargo, no clarity which way it’s going and financial issues — one way to potentially resolve some issues is selling a player. Everyone knows my thoughts but we have had lots of things we have had to deal with but this is in the public eye.
“He would be a big loss, we worked hard to keep this squad together in terms of the balance and how competitive it is and that’s shown in our results and performances. We find ourselves in difficult times financially and it means some tough decisions may have to be made. But there are lots of ways we could come out of it and keep hold of players.”
In total, Berge has made 87 appearances for the Blades since his £20million move from Belgian side Genk in January 2020. Berge would likely fit into the Newcastle first-team in the No.6 role - something that would allow Bruno Guimaraes more freedom to impact the game in attacking areas.